Tag: European History
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An Interview With: Victoria Panton Bacon, Second World War Historian

Hello and welcome back to our “An Interview With” series! Today it is my pleasure to have author and historian of the Second World War, Victoria Panton Bacon, on as our guest, in a timely post for Remembrance Day. Today also sees the release of Victoria’s first children’s book, Their Second World War. Victoria is…
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The Origins of the Hundred Years’ War

Today I’m pleased to be hosting a guest post looking at the origins of the Hundred Years’ War between England and France. This is a topic that comes up quite a lot on this blog, as it’s right in my era of expertise, so I’m happy to hear from Talia. Talia is a 19-year-old self-taught…
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Pontefract Castle: The Key to the North

It’s been a little while since I’ve written about a castle, despite the plethora of incredible castles in England where I live, let alone ones further afield. Last month I visited Pontefract Castle in Yorkshire, so I thought it was a perfect opportunity to pick this series back up! Pontefract Castle was one of the…
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Jewellery: The Eyewitness of History

Today we have a wonderful guest post by jeweller Samuel Mee, giving us a fascinating tour through some key pieces of jewellery from history. It’s a real great snippet into just how important jewellery could be, and how much we can glean about certain times in the past from the jewellery which was fashionable. Samuel…
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Mythical Creatures: Medieval Unicorns in Europe

Today we return to an old favourite series of mine, looking at the history of mythical creatures. In recent years, the unicorn has experienced a true revival, representing both LGBTQ+ communities and becoming a fan favourite of young children. But the unicorn was just as popular in medieval Europe, appearing countless times in artwork and…
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A Brief Moment of History: Humanity’s Worst Year Ever?

Ask anyone on the street when they think the worst year in human history was, and I’m sure there’d be quite a variety of answers offered. Years during the World Wars; when the Black Death swept Europe; or even more recent events like during the Covid pandemic. War and disease are probably the most significant…
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What Was A Court Jester In The Medieval Period?

Today I am pleased to be hosting a guest post written by Darryl King. Darryl is the founder of Jester Planet, a site that is dedicated to being a comprehensive guide to jesters throughout history. Writing under the pen name D.E. King, he is also the author of the In All Jest series. The epic…
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Book Review: “Lionessheart” by Catherine Hanley

Today, I’m really excited to be writing a book review of the upcoming Lionessheart by historian Catherine Hanley. The topic of the book is the exact type of history I love to read (and write!) and so I couldn’t wait to dive in and share my thoughts with you all. NB, I was sent a…
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Historical Objects: Duchess Dhuoda and the Liber Manualis

Surviving historical artefacts are so interesting to write about because there are so many strands of history they can illuminate for us. It could be teaching us about artwork and design popular in another time period, it can show us the skill of craftsmen from centuries or millennia ago, and in the case of the…
